The invention relates generally to a locking device for an automobile wheel medallion and more particularly to a one-piece locking device for use with a conventional wheel medallion which encompasses all or a portion of the wheel grease cap.
Some automobiles are provided with expensive decorative wheel covers, or caps, formed separately from the wheel itself The cap can be dimensioned large enough to cover the entire wheel. In that case, the cover must be removed before the lug nuts can be loosened and the tire removed from the vehicle. On the other hand, the medallion can be dimensioned to cover only the hub of the wheel leaving the lug nuts exposed and making it unnecessary to remove the cover every time it is desired to remove the tire from the vehicle. This smaller cap is often referred to as a wheel medallion because it generally includes an insignia such as a trademark or an ornamental logo identifying the manufacturer of the vehicle.
Wheel medallions are subject to loss and, because they are small, accessible and valuable, wheel medallions are the subject of theft. Consequently, many prior art attempts have been made to lock the medallion to the wheel of the vehicle. These prior art attempts require a specially manufactured cap. They do not allow for the use of conventionally manufactured medallions which are the ones recognized as valuable. An example of a prior art attempt to provide an anti-theft hub cap would be to specially manufacture a pair of nested cups threaded together through the wheel hub wherein the outer cup can function as a cap covering the hub of the wheel. Another example would be a sleeve or housing that is bolted to the axle hub of the vehicle. A separate piece, a specially manufactured cap, has a key lock customized into the exterior surface of the medallion. The exterior lock is used to lock the medallion to the wheel from the face or front surface of the wheel. This type of lock is still susceptible to theft because it is accessible. Other attempts utilize an existing medallion but involve screw, bolt or lock arrangements drilled into the medallion. These arrangements are unsatisfactory because they deface the medallion and result in a reduction in its value.
One solution to locking wheel medallions is described in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,032, which provides a one-piece locking device or disk which captures the medallion clips on the opposite side of the wheel from the medallion. This locking device cannot accommodate medallions which are on fIat wheel flanges, which have all or a portion of the grease cap extending into a medallion well.
It therefore would be advantageous to provide an anti-theft locking device that can be used with a conventional medallion which encompasses a grease cap and particularly one that will not deface the medallion.